February 2008

I remember as a kid growing up learning about mallards and the males having green heads.  That was the first time I really looked at birds and realized that they don't all look the same.  Turns out I didn't really get that far.  I figured those green headed mallards are the dominant duck here, all year round.  Wrong.  American Widgeon's are pretty common here in the winter, but living near the ocean, there are a bunch of other species that also call false creek home.  I went for a short walk and took a few photos of the ducks in my very urban area.

What this taught me is a really need a longer lens.

It's been a good year for cross country skiing.  Helen, Mark and I went up for a sunny afternoon (night skiing starts at 3pm) and I brought a long a camera.  Turns out sunny meant icy and while we could get to some of the higher trails, we didn't have a lot of time (or patience) to explore them.